Around five years back, I suddenly planned a face lift for our small garden area. After cleaning up the garden I bought a nice pot to be used as compost pit. We collected the vegetable and fruit waste in this pot and used it as manure. I used to throw the rotten tomatoes as well.

In our new duplex home we made planters on the compound wall and the parapet wall. My hubby mixed soil with the compost we had collected over the years and planted some rose cuttings. After around two weeks the planters were filled with tomato plants. We re potted them and have harvested over 100 tomatoes till now. Another hundred can be plucked in a week:).

Thakkali Koottu (Tomato koottu )

Cooking with home grown vegetables is very satisfying and you know there are no artificial fertilizers or pesticides. The aroma of freshly plucked vegetables is heavenly.

Ingredients

Raw tomatoes – 6 to 8

Moong dal – 1/4 cup

Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp

Salt – to taste

For the paste

Grated coconut – 1 tbs

Coriander seeds – 1/2 tsp

Urad dal – 1 tsp

Channa dal – 1 tsp

Hing – a small piece

Red-chili – 1 no

Oil – 1 tsp

For the seasoning

Ghee – 1 tsp

Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp

Curry leaves – 5 nos

Red chilli – 1 no

Method

Slice the tomatoes into long pieces.Place in a MW safe bowl and mix with 1/4 tsp turmeric powder. MW high for 5 minutes

Pressure cook the moong dal with 1/4 tsp turmeric powder.

Roast the ingredients for the paste except coconut in 1 tsp oil, add coconut and grind to a smooth paste.

Add cooked moong dal, ground paste and salt to the tomatoes and mix well.Add a little water to get Koottu consistency.

Mw high for 2 minutes. Transfer to a serving bowl.

Cut the red chili into small pieces.

Heat 1 tsp ghee and add the mustard seeds and red chili; when the mustard crackles add the curry leaves. Add the seasoning to the koottu.

Adai is a distant, thick cousin of the dosa, a south indian pancake made with equal parts of rice and a combination of lentils one fancies. Adai-Avial (mixed vegetables dunked in coconut and yogurt) is a classic combination, a common place tiffin that people in this part of the world love. I am no expert on nutrition, exercise and the like. I can therefore make no claims whatsoever on the healthfulness of Adai. What I can, however, tell you with utter confidence is that this a breakfast combination that will keep you full for what will seem like an eternity. Traditionally Adais were thick pancakes, made by patting fistfuls of batter on the tawa. A pit would be dug (a hole, actually, a minor dent) in the middle of this enormously thick pancake to help with even cooking and to infuse some oil.

Growing up with my vegetable worshiping Appa, I always ate what were most definitely cabbage pancakes doled out as Adai. My Appa’s vegetable love was good in every other way, it elevated ordinary bland tasting fare to unimaginably delicious heights, except in this addition of cabbage to the Adai. The fresh home made butter on the side that was served with the Adai was the only thing I looked forward to. Until last week I had never met an Adai I could eat without feeling choked. My search for a palatable adai ended when I transformed this recipe for deep fried paniyarams handed down by my mother in law. I took the liberty of thinning the batter enough so that the Adai could be not just crisp but also feel less voluminous in the mouth.

Recipe handed down by my mother in law, who in turn got it from her mother in law.

Ingredients

Raw Rice – 1 cup

Moong Dal – 1/4 cup

Urad dal (black gram) – 1/4 cup

Channa dal (chick peas)- 1/4 cup

Toor dal (pigeon peas)- 1/4 cup

Red Chillies – 2 -4 no (crushed)

Curry Leaves – 2 twigs (finely chopped)

Ginger – 1 inch piece (grated)

Grated Coconut – 2 tbsp

Salt to taste

Oil – 2 tbsp

Method

Wash the rice and dals (all four together) and soak overnight in enough water separately.

Drain water from the rice and the dals. Grind the rice to a smooth batter with 1/2 cup of water. Add the dals and grind to a coarse batter with another 1/2 cup of water . Add salt, red chillies, grated coconut, curry leaves and ginger to the batter. Dilute with water (if necessary) to get a batter of pouring consistency.

Heat a flat pan on medium and grease with oil. Pour a ladle of batter and spread in circular motion to make the adai/pancake. When one side turns golden, turn over and cook the other side. Remove from pan. Repeat with rest of the batter.

Recreating dishes my Patti lovingly prepared for us is therapeutic. Not a day passes by without Amma or I reminiscing about the joyous moments we shared with Patti. I have had the privilege of tasting the worst tasting yam dish of all seasons and centuries while pursuing my Masters, not once or twice, but every week for an entire two years. The Poricha Kuzhambu with Yam that my Patti prepared offers a study in contrast. The sourness of tamarind perfectly combines with the yam, rendering it itch free (post consumption that is) with a sweet ,earthy, creamy taste. The yam was left to dry for several days before use to avoid the infamous itch, especially while cutting.

Poricha Kuzhambu was usually prepared on Amavasai (new moon) when lentil based dishes (with the exception of moong dal) were avoided. Amavasai Tarpanam, ritual of water oblations, was performed. Food prepared was offered to ancestors and their blessings were sought. Traditional meal planning always included holidays for consumption of specific categories of food, including avoidance of all grains on certain days.

Poricha Kuzhambu

I made Poricha Kuzhambu for the morning’s breakfast to go with some mor paniyarams. Since I din’t have yam on hand, I used Colacasia (Seppankizhangu) which works as delightfully with this dish.